ESPN Official Says VCU-Butler Should Perform Well In TV Ratings

When both VCU and Butler made the Final Four, instant reaction from many in the sports community was that the lack of a marquee school in one semifinal would hurt CBS's ratings. THE DAILY asked ESPN Senior VP/Research & Analytics Artie Bulgrin whether marquee teams or competitive games drive ratings more. "It has always been a combination," he said.

Bulgrin pointed to the fact that there has been just a 2.4 rating point range in 10 of the 11 Final Fours from '00 to '10 when you average both games (8.0-10.4). He suggested that shows the VCU-Butler game should perform well in TV ratings. In '03, ratings were hurt when Kansas beat Marquette by 33 points in the first game, hurting the lead-in for the second game (Texas-Syracuse).